The Facts and Zimmerman’s Story April 14, 2012

Like many people — I hope most of us — I have been shocked and horrified, both by the shooting of Trayvon Martin and by the hyper­politi­cized reaction to it. Conservatives have been dredging up all sorts of facts about Trayvon, such as his school record, which would be relevant only in a case of premeditated first-degree murder. I have read on both Twitter and Facebook that on Fox News and similar hate media, Trayvon is consistently portrayed as the criminal and George Zimmerman as Trayvon’s innocent victim.

I have been wishing and wishing that someone more expert than I am would make an animated video showing George Zimmerman’s version of events — how a 17-year-old boy jumped the 28-year-old Zimmerman, who outweighed the boy by a minimum of 30 pounds; how Trayvon beat Zimmerman up next to Zimmerman’s truck while Trayvon was talking to his girlfriend on his cell phone; how Trayvon then picked 190-pound Zimmerman up and carried him 400 feet to where he could pound Zimmerman’s head on the sidewalk; how, after pounding George Zimmerman’s head on the sidewalk, Trayvon picked him up a second time and carried Zimmerman another hundred feet toward Trayvon’s home; how, since Trayvon’s corpse bore no marks except the gunshot wound, Zimmerman must have done nothing to defend himself; and how somehow the two changed places approximately 500 feet from where the alleged beating of the much larger man allegedly began and the unarmed, 30-pounds-lighter aggressor was shot dead. According to phone company records, Trayvon was talking to his girlfriend from 7:12 until his phone went dead at 7:16, meaning that Trayvon beat up and terrorized George Zimmerman while simultaneously telling his girlfriend he was being frightened by a “strange dude.”

(Police say that Trayvon was 17 years old and 6′0″ tall, and weighed 160 pounds, while Zimmerman was 28 years old and 5′9″ tall, and weighed 190 pounds. Trayvon was a high school student, and Zimmerman a high school graduate. I have been informed by a reader that the New York Times specified Trayvon’s weight as 170 pounds. This would mean that Zimmerman outweighed Trayvon by “only” 12 percent, rather than the 19 percent of the larger weight range. I’ll be interested in what the autopsy will provide as the final word.)

Well, alas, no one has made an animation of Zimmerman’s story (that I know about), so I’m stuck. Here, for the purposes of someone who has more video skills than I do, is a detailed timeline, with both facts where they are known and Zimmerman’s story interspersed. I obtained the timeline from USA Today News and from a transcript of Zimmerman’s 911 call. I obtained the maps from both Google Maps and from a WordPress blogger, BCC:List.com.

Before I begin, let me stress that according to a Sanford TV station, neighborhood watch volunteers are supposed to work in pairs. They are forbidden to carry firearms while they are “watching,” and if they discover “suspicious activity,” they are forbidden to leave the vehicle in which the two neighborhood watchers are sitting. I have been informed that Zimmerman was not on duty as a neighborhood watch volunteer that night. I imagine, however, that his ostensibly being “off duty” did not impair Zimmerman’s memory.

2005

According to the Orlando Sentinel, at age 21, Zimmerman was twice accused of violent behavior. First Zimmerman “pushed” a police officer (see below at 7:15:50!), was arrested, and completed a program for violent first offenders in exchange for not being charged. A month later, a former girlfriend took out a restraining order against him, alleging domestic violence.

2007

Zimmerman, age 23, defaulted on a loan from Capital One. He agreed to pay $2,135.82, to cover his debts, interest on his debts, and attorney and court costs. After Capital One showed early in 2008 that Zimmerman was failing to pay this debt, Zimmerman’s then-employer, CarMax, agreed to garnish his wages. After CarMax fired Zimmerman a few months later, there is no record (that I can discover) of Zimmerman’s having repaid his debt.

According to the Wikipedia article, George Zimmerman originated his 911 call “at approximately 7:09.” Earlier today, I found a source that said the call began at 7:09:34. If I can verify this time, I’ll update the times you’ll see below.

6:40

Trayvon leaves the home of his father’s girlfriend (“H,” far right) and walks to a 7-Eleven (“7.” far left) approximately three-fourths of a mile to the west (a 10-minute walk at 4.5 miles per hour), where he buys Skittles and iced tea. It is a cold and rainy February night, so Trayvon wears his hoodie. (My hoodie is pink, Geraldo.)

7:09

George Zimmerman calls 911 for the 46th time. He describes the 17-year-old Trayvon as “suspicious.” At 7:09:25, Zimmerman says the boy “looks like he’s up to no good or he’s on drugs or something.” In the image below, the blue rectangle shows where George Zimmerman told the police his truck was parked, close to the north entrance of the Retreat at Twin Lakes. The black arrows show Trayvon’s presumed route home. The yellow arrows show Zimmerman’s presumed route in reality (rather than in Zimmerman’s story). The red X shows where Trayvon’s dead body was found, approximately a tenth of a mile from where Zimmerman alleges their confrontation began. The white box at the lower right of the image shows Trayvon’s destination, near the back (east) entrance of the development.

As mentioned earlier, the above map comes from the excellent BCC:List.com. This blogger’s opinion is that the only way Zimmerman’s story could cohere with the known facts is if Zimmerman came close to running Trayvon down with his truck. (Which might affect Zimmerman’s “Stand Your Ground” defense!)

The thoughtful and courteous Bob Owen, in his comment on this post (see below), provides addresses for three alternative versions of where George Zimmerman left his truck. But assuming that Zimmerman misled the police on the subject, no alternative version explains how Trayvon could jump and beat up Zimmerman next to Zimmerman’s truck, and a split-second later die approximately 100 to 300 feet from that location. At least, not without Zimmerman pursuing Trayvon, which to me does not argue well for the “Stand Your Ground” defense.

7:09:42

Zimmerman describes Trayvon as wearing a “dark hoodie.” In answer to a multiple-choice question from the dispatcher, Zimmerman says, “He looks black.”

7:09:48

Zimmerman tells the 911 dispatcher, “Now he’s staring at me.”

7:10:03

Zimmerman volunteers to the 911 dispatcher, not in answer to any question, “He’s a black male.”

Zimmerman tells the police dispatcher, “He’s running.” The dispatcher asks where Trayvon is running, and Zimmerman indicates he is running toward where we now know he was staying.

7:11:15

The door of Zimmerman’s truck can be heard to slam shut on the 911 recording. Zimmerman’s breath quickens, as if he is in motion, and the sounds of wind resistance begin. It seems reasonable to infer that in the real world, Zimmerman has left his truck and pursuing Trayvon on foot.

7:12

Trayvon’s girlfriend in Miami calls him on his cell phone. Trayvon tells her that “some strange dude” is “watching him,” so he puts up his hood. (Meanwhile, Zimmerman is discussing his personal information with the 911 dispatcher.) According to phone company records, Trayvon’s conversation with his girlfriend lasted until the phone went dead at 7:16.

7:12:22

Zimmerman mutters something under his breath that is probably “F—king punks,” although early listeners believed it was a racial slur. At 7:12:23, the dispatcher asks Zimmerman whether he is following Trayvon; at 7:12:24, Zimmerman replies “Yeah.” At 7:12:26, the dispatcher says, “Okay, we don’t need you to do that.” Zimmerman replies “Okay,” indicating that he understood the dispatcher’s instruction not to follow Trayvon. The two discuss where police should come, and Zimmerman provides an address.

7:12:34

The dispatcher asks Zimmerman for his name and cell phone number and assures Zimmerman that the police are en route. Although the 911 dispatcher does not say so, the neighborhood watch rules require Zimmerman to return to his vehicle, I believe whether or not he was “on duty” as a volunteer at the time.

7:12:49

Before Zimmerman hangs up, he says “I don’t know where this kid is. Could you have [the police] call me, and I’ll tell them where I’m at.” The dispatcher confirms Zimmerman’s phone number and says police will call him when they arrive.

7:13:07

George Zimmerman’s 911 call ends.

7:13:08

George Zimmerman says that after hanging up with the police, he returned to his truck, parked near the north entrance of the development. (See the blue rectangles in the three final maps.) According to Zimmerman, Trayvon approached Zimmerman “from behind” (i.e., from the south, 180 degrees away from Trayvon’s destination) and they had words.

7:13-15

According to George Zimmerman, having had words with Trayvon, Zimmerman turned his back on the teenager that he thought was a “f—king punk” (or “coon”). Trayvon punched Zimmerman hard enough to knock the older and considerably heavier man to the ground. Then Trayvon began slamming Zimmerman’s head into the “sidewalk.” It is likely that when this alleged punching and slamming began, Zimmerman and Trayvon were not near Zimmerman’s truck, but rather 500 feet from where Zimmerman said he left his truck, and 70 yards from Trayvon’s destination. Also, be reminded that while Trayvon was punching and slamming Zimmerman, he was simultaneously telling his girlfriend that he was being frightened by Zimmerman.

7:14-15

Look at the two images below. The blue rectangles show approximately where George Zimmerman told police he had left his truck. The second, more detailed Google Maps image shows that the sidewalk begins approximately 400 feet from where Zimmerman’s truck was said to have been parked.

7:13

The first call to 911 is made by a neighbor who heard cries for help. Trayvon’s mother has identified the voice crying for help as her son’s. Zimmerman and his family and friends say the voice was George’s. Two forensic audio experts have said that whoever was calling for help, it was not George Zimmerman. Between 7:13 and 7:30, at least seven neighbors called 911 to report an altercation approximately 500 feet from where Zimmerman said he left his truck, followed by a gunshot. Most say it was too dark to see more; one caller reports “wrestling.”

7:16

According to George Zimmerman’s account, after surprising Zimmerman at approximately 7:13:10, breaking Zimmerman’s nose, knocking him to the ground, and savagely pounding Zimmerman’s head into the (nonexistent) sidewalk until the resistless Zimmerman feared for his life, while talking to his girlfriend on his cell phone the entire time, Trayvon leaped up and sprinted for home, racing approximately 500 feet in a few seconds. Stunned by his savage beating and in fear of his life, Zimmerman magically found himself 500 feet from his truck. In the location where one witness alleges he saw “wrestling,” Zimmerman, fearing for his life at Trayvon’s unarmed, unmarked hands, shot Trayvon point-blank in the chest at close range.Until shortly before the shooting, Trayvon was beating up the larger Zimmerman while continuing to talk with his girlfriend and telling his girlfriend he was afraid of the “strange dude” he was beating up.

7:15:50

A few seconds before 7:16, Trayvon’s girlfriend hears Trayvon say “What are you following me for?” She hears a man’s voice say to Trayvon, “What are you doing here?” She hears the sound of “pushing.” (See 2005.) Then Trayvon’s headset suddenly went silent, leading her to believe that he had been pushed. She tries to call him back immediately, but cannot reach him.

7:17

The first police officers arrive at the site of the shooting, 500 feet from where Zimmerman says the confrontation began and approximately 200 feet from where Trayvon was staying. (See the red X in the second map.) They discover Zimmerman standing over Trayvon’s dead body. Zimmerman confesses to having shot Trayvon. Officers take Zimmerman’s 9mm automatic and place him in handcuffs.

minutes later

Paramedics do CPR on Trayvon’s corpse. (He is pronounced dead at 7:30.) Paramedics then “work on” Zimmerman. In the initial police report, Zimmerman is alleged to have been bleeding from the back of his head and from his nose. In a police station video, there is no evidence of any damage to Zimmerman that *I* can perceive, not even a swelling of his allegedly broken nose.

3/29

Trayvon’s autopsy is still “under seal.” The funeral director who prepared Trayvon’s body for burial told at least one news anchor that the only mark on Trayvon’s body was his gunshot wound; there were no marks on Trayvon’s hands, arms, or clothing to indicate that he had jumped Zimmerman, broken Zimmerman’s nose with his bare fist (leaving no marks on the fist!), knocked Zimmerman to the ground, straddled him, and began beating Zimmerman’s head against the “sidewalk.” No evidence of Zimmerman’s blood was found on Trayvon’s body or clothing.

ca. 3/2

Approximately a week after Trayvon’s shooting, the mother of a 13-year-old witness told the media that police questioners had “pressured” her son to identify the body on the ground immediately before the shooting as Zimmerman. However, she also stated that the police told her they did not believe the shooting was self-defense.

These are the facts, as closely as I can replicate them. Now, please, will some expert provide an animation that illustrates:

Trayvon jumping Zimmerman at approximately 7:13:10;

Trayvon beating Zimmerman up without marking his own hands, receiving defensive wounds, or being spattered with Zimmerman’s blood, but nevertheless leaving Zimmerman in fear of his life;

Trayvon beating Zimmerman up while talking to his girlfriend on his cell phone;

Trayvon and Zimmerman magically being transported approximately 500 feet in a flash from where Zimmerman said they were to where witnesses saw and heard them;

How Zimmerman and Trayvon changed places, with Zimmerman found standing over Trayvon’s dead body at 7:17.

It will be important to time this video so that it contains all the incidents between 7:13:07, the earliest moment when Zimmerman could have completed his 911 call*, and 7:16, the approximate time Zimmerman shot his gun. In my opinion, the animation will move at blinding speed — about the second “fast forward” click on a DVR.

*(According to Phathead, a blogger at freerepublic.com, the 911 began at 7:09:34, meaning it ended at 7:13:41, leaving Trayvon roughly two minutes to beat Zimmerman up. Commenter Bob Owens believes that two minutes is more than enough time. I believe that if Trayvon were beating Zimmerman as savagely as Zimmerman and his supporters claim, DeeDee would have at least noticed a change in Trayvon’s breathing patterns, if not the sounds of the actual beating.)

On the April 13 edition of “Hardball,” a conservative pundit told Chris Matthews that the case against George Zimmerman was so “flimsy” that it will soon be summarily dismissed. If you believe that an unarmed, 160-pound boy could beat up and terrorize a 190-pound man in less than three minutes, with ZERO sound effects audible to Trayvon’s girlfriend, all while telling his girlfriend that he, Trayvon, was being terrorized by George Zimmerman, I’m sure you will agree.

And of course, there are many more variations other people have tried to cobble together based upon the limited data made available to the public. In short, all of them are based on very incomplete data, and more than likely very inaccurate.

A data point I’d like to mention is the lack of wounds on Martin’s hands, which some desire to interpret as evidence of some sort.

I’ve spent quite a few hours with heavy bags and BOBs (Body Opponents bags that simulate a human torso), and you can deliver many punches without tearing the skin on your knuckles, particularly if you are delivering direct, solid shots. The skin on the knuckles typically tears or scraps from glancing blows where the skin sticks on the target as the muscle and bone slide past.

IF (and this is speculation) Martin was in a top-mount position consistent with Zimmerman’s account and at least one of the visual eyewitnesses, and able to deliver short, direct blows, he could inflict considerable damage without damage to himself (including his hands), which is why this position is favored by mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters as a fight-finishing position.

Further, if Martin is a fan of MMA as many boys his age are, he more than likely used his forearms to deliver any blows from the top mount position, not his fists. they afford more mass, and can more easily push through arms raised in a defensive position to try to cover the head and face.

Last, but not least, it is extremely easy to severely beat someone to a life threatening degree in a matter of seconds (not minutes), especially if that person has already been stunned by a punch out of the blue or has been placed in an indefensible position, such as being top-mounted. I am not saying that this is what happened, but it is very, very plausible.

It is admirable that you have made an attempt to sort out the facts of this case, but bear in mind that the conclusions you’ve drawn are based on incomplete data, and are more than likely wrong.

Thank you for your thoughtful and courteous comments. I chose 160 pounds for Trayvon’s weight, rather than the 140 of the earliest reports, because that’s what the POLICE, rather than the New York Times, reported. I assume that Zimmerman’s “190 pounds” was based on his self-reporting rather than a police station weigh-in. I am glad that George was only 12 percent heavier, rather than the 19 percent heavier the police report stated.

Even assuming your comments as more accurate than my own, and even assuming that Zimmerman’s 911 call began at exactly 7:09 (rather than, e.g., 7:09:45), that still leaves less than three minutes for Trayvon to change his mind about fleeing George; to double back on his own tracks to sneak up and jump George; and to beat George up so badly that George feared for his life, all while continuing to talk on the phone with his girlfriend, with no sound effects of the beating, even altered breathing.

if he was getting in all these direct hits so as not to even mark his hands they would have been wiping zimmermans face off the sidewalk….he had lack of wounds on his hands the same that george had lack of wounds on his face…that’s probably more realistic than some fanciful mma scenario. and the wagist is a joke to anyone who isn’t a gun totin’ fox news watching sarah palin loving superiority complex zimmerman sympathiser.

As time passes Zimmerman gets lighter and lighter while Trayvon gets heavier and heavier. But, he doesn’t look like such a lightweight in the Police station photos which are contemporary with these events.

Now there’s a photo of Zim’s head wounds making the rounds. Anyone think these wounds look like they’re about 4 minutes old?
Do they really look like the result of a head being bashed on wet pavement? Then rolled around on grass?

Why is there no worry about possible infections? Zim’s head wasn’t bandaged by whomever treated him, if anyone did. Things that make you go hmmm…

I think people assume that the phone call and when Zimmerman left the truck happened at the same time and assume when they hear chimes and a door shut they think that is Zimmerman leaving the truck. Maybe not. Zimmerman could have already been out of the truck before he called the police. he would be in a hurry to call the police so when he returns to the truck ,he may not bother to shut it tight. A door can not be shut tight and the chimes will not go off but as soon as someone swings the door out they will go off. But anyway,the wind sound continues for longer than you would expevt if Zimmerman had stopped running after agreeing not to follow. he is worried Trayvon will get away and he even mentions “he is heading toward the back entrance”. IN Zimmermans mind maybe he thought cutting Trayvon off was not following .If he drove toward the back gate it is logical to assume Zimmerman is going to stop near where Brandy green lives.It is in the last building south before the
gate

Zimmerman would have enough time to drive back north after the call and find Trayvon after he switched directions to avoid Zimmerman. If zimmerman did follow in the truck and the window is cracked open then it stands to reason he may make up a story to explain why and how the window is part way open. There is a story like that as the homicide detective told the Martin’s that Trayvon approached Zimmerman while he was in the truck and he rolled the window down.

THANK YOU MARY FOR YOUR AMAZING COMPILATION. I also want answers to the questions you posed. It amazes me how many people, including Bob Owens, are trying to justify this murder and choosing to ignore the facts that can be seen by a blind person and known by a dead person named Trayvon Martin and denied by a live person named George Zimmerman.

One more thing. While everyone was busy trying to figure out if Zimmerman said coon, I wanted to know what he implied when he muttered “These f—king assholes. They always get away.” What did he mean by “These F-ing assholes”? These Black people??

Yeah, but… He’d already described one of the people he was talking about as black! Also, he appears to have made quite a few calls about blacks, but there’s only on record one arrest.
I assume the special prosecutor will want to examine those other people. What they were doing could prove to be very probative to a jury.

Nit Wit the 911 operator asked “is he black, white, or hispanic?” People at your unbiased MSM were fired last week because they edited that out and played it on the air with the intent of making Zimmerman look racist.

“quite a few calls about blacks”

Double Nit Wit,
That is because EYE WITNESSES of the BURGLARIES said the BURGLARS were BLACK!!! It isn’t racist if it’s true…

your the kind of racist that is always waiting to be offended. You think it is racist that a Que Ball is WHITE and the 8 Ball is black.

I get the general impression that Z left his house at 7pm, to drive to the store. If so, then why does he wind up some 8-9 minutes later, approx. 300 feet from his door? A speed of less than 1/4 mph??? Or, more likely he just stopped near the front gate and was waiting? But for what and why?

People in gated communities don’t do much walking even when the weather is clear. So then, why is Z waiting several minutes near the front, for the one person (probably per year), who will be returning home on foot in the rain?

Just a coincidence that he leaves home at 7pm and somehow spends 7-8 minutes near the front gate, to spot the only one walking home? It just happens to be a “suspicious” young black male! Talk about things that make you go Hmmm.

Straight driving time from Z’s house out the front gate should be less than a minute. But Trayvon doesn’t come in the front gate and keep walking, he stops, takes cover for several minutes avoiding heavy rain, while talking to his girlfriend. Z doesn’t see him until he’s out walking again. So there’s that.

Yes, but from the location of his house, he couldn’t see Trayvon leave home. For that he needed a spotter, someone to call him and give a “heads up” that it’s time to prepare. As I speculated before on my blog in the comments, he couldn’t leave preparing his wounds for the scene, he had no way to know he’d get the chance. There was too much to do, once Trayvon came back from the store, so that’s out too.

The only safe way to do it is, before he leaves home. Of course, that means the wounds are going to be much more than the 4 minutes old, they should be in good neighbor John’s helpful photo. Hmmm…

A call from John that Trayvon is leaving? Time to prepare for the nights activities. Wait for the call that Trayvon is leaving 711 (it wouldn’t do to have wounds prepared, then have Trayvon stay at the store or hang out for another 15 to 30 minutes, you have to know he’s coming home, to make the wounds look as fresh as possible).

Unfortunately for Zim the wounds look a bit to “fresh”, or rather not as messy as they should. Remember this head was hitting bloody wet pavement, then being rolled in the grass. The photo looks nothing like that at all.

There is no recording of Trayvon’s call to his girlfriend. You accept her story without question but don’t believe one word George Zimmerman said.Your suppositions and conclusions are laughable. I searched the web looking for the known facts and an accurate timeline of this case. Instead I found this biased waste of my time.

Listen to yourself. You wrote:

“on Fox News and similar hate media, Trayvon is consistently portrayed as the criminal and George Zimmerman as Trayvon’s innocent victim.” without mentioning the fabricated racial component that the rest of the media put on this story.
Can you cite examples of this from Fox news? I mean the reporters, not the commentators.

I can cite lots of misinformation and outright deception from the news outlets of the rest of the media.
NBC news either intentionally or unintentionally edited the 911 tape to make Zimmerman sound like a stone cold racist.

ABC reported there were no obvious wounds on Zimmerman’s head, but it looks like there were.

CNN ran the f*** coons story and days later ran another story that made it sound like Zimmerman actually said, “It’s f***ing cold.”

You are not objective at all. I don’t know what happened so i will keep looking for facts and a timeline without the bias.

The girlfriends phone call does not have a recorded record, but the times and length of the transmissions are recorded. Also, she was in Florida at the time, so what she had to say, had to closely corelate with what was happening, otherwise it too would have been suspected of being contrived.

Of course, there’s only so much contrivance that she could do, since she was questioned before she became aware of the circumstances surrounding those calls. The case didn’t go public for many weeks later, but her story was told pretty early on, perhaps within days of the event. And before she could know whether the actual evidence could show her to be making things up or telling the truth.

Zimmerman, who is facing a possible life sentence, if he’s found to be in the wrong, has a very strong motivation to play with the facts, to make himself appear without fault.

Why does a young black man, who is doing nothing but walking, so terribly threatening that he needs to be reported to the police, followed and not allowed to escape? Where is Zimmerman’s badge?

Funny people have no problem with a youth, on the phone with his girlfriend, throwing a punch that knocked Zimmerman down, at the very same time. Mind you, a youth who had no martial arts training, attacking an adult, at night, alone in the rain.

The kid is shot dead, merely because Zim’s word that he was in fear for his very life. When he knew he was very likely compromising any case, the police whom he called, might find when they arrived. All of which occurs in spite of the fact that Zimmerman’s 14 hour Neighborhood watch course, administered by the very same SPD, admonishes him never to follow and/or be armed at the time.

So, then, Zim was armed and knows not to follow, even when not armed. Yet he brazenly follows anyway, in spite of being verbally admonished by the 911 operator, a reminder that should not have been necessary at all.

Meanwhile Zim had witnessed no crime! Only believed, that the person was “suspicious”! Does that somehow confer on him the right to follow? It does not! Because he says he wasn’t on “patrol”, means he did not even have any reason to monitor Trayvon’s movements. It does not mean that he has the right to accost people whom he believes are suspicious, while he is armed.

Since his only claim for being in touch with Trayvon in any way, comes from his desire to follow a person for his own personal reasons, he has no right to follow or approach Trayvon, or ever be anywhere near him. Because he did follow, which is a provokative act in itself, he is reponsible for inciting Trayvon to defend himself against an unknown, armed assailant who is acting suspiciously without cause.

Well, I posted to my blog: [http://themindlesspraetorianblog.blogspot.com/] where I also write comments, so as not to muddy the stories. Except lately I’ve been seeing some stuff that really gets away from the few facts we have.

Like how a “death struggle” fight, for Zimmerman’s gun, could leave no marks on Trayvon’s body? No knuckle or wrist bruising, no body slamming or fabric burns, as two people struggled for their lives.
Fighting for control of a gun is not something one engages in casually at all, it is a desperate effort involving all of both parties strength and force directed against each other, it has got to leave some serious marks! Otherwise it simply didn’t happen!

yep, when people go on about how george had every right to follow this suspicious guy i wonder WHY WAS HE SUSPICIOUS. He wasn’t. He was walking down the street. if i was witnessing what was going on i would be more concerned with what georges intentions were than trayvons. George is lucky no one was out profiling him that night because he might have looked like a dirty old perv. Imagine what poor trayvon was thinking. I would have punched him in the nuts instead of the nose.

People talking on hands free cell phones often look like they’re a bit looney, until, after watching them a bit more closely, you can see they’re talking and realize they’re on a phone you can’t see.

Zim was watching Trayvon closely and so, he probably knew, within a couple of minutes, that Trayvon was on the phone. But that information gave Zim no pause, he did not relay it to the police, instead he insisted that Trayvon was acting crazy. Attempting to force the idea that Trayvon was acting suspiciously.

That and the wounds he clearly did not get in a fight for life with Trayvon, is leading me to the conclusion that this may be a premeditated murder. Someone said that even though only 2nd is charged, a jury can bring in 1st degree if they believe so. We will see.

One thing in Trayvon’s favor is, the republicans have a presidential race to win and they don’t want to lose Florida. So they can’t afford riots and such, so they’ll probably go the straight and narrow on this.

Nice work but I think you missed some important clues. Zimmerman told the operator his SUV was parked “near the cut thru” indicating he MOVED his vehicle away from the mailboxes during the call. There was a car-vs-pedestrial chase portion of the incident in my opinion.

Zimmerman: If they come in through the gate, tell them to go straight past the club house, and uh, straight past the club house and make a left, and then they go past the mailboxes, THEY WILL SEE my truck…[unintelligible]
Dispatcher: What address are you parked in front of?
3:26
Zimmerman: I don’t know, it’s a cut through so I don’t know the address.

Note GZ says to “make a left.” He’s moved his car from the mailbox area to the start of the cut thru path. He followed Trayvon in his car, possibly even making a U-turn to do so. And that is what made the youth scared and start to run, once he had walked PAST GZ’s car in the direction of his home. TM was being tailed by an unknown individual in a slowly moving car, an unnerving situation. This caused Trayvon to get off the street and into the “alley” between the townhouses, where a car can’t follow. What TM did not know however, is if the individual following exited his car or not. The car could continue south and cut him off, he’s have to consider. He’d just ran the length of the east-to-west portion of the street and so he stops when he is out of sight, wondering if he will be cut off at the end of the building or not. It’s THEN that TM is called again by his girlfriend, so he waits there to chat with her, and to catch his breath. (Tragically, if she had not called he may have run all the way home. We’ll never know.)

TM’s phone rings at some point 7:12:00 to 7:12:59. Phone bill time are rounded down.

TM considers his options – he has three ways out – east to the other street, a bad option when you are afoot being chased by a car. Back north directly towards where he just ran away from – foolish. Or south, where he may encounter the individual “heading him off at the pass” with the aid of his faster car. He decides his best option is to wait, and talk to his girlfriend while doing so. The least likely thing would be for someone to exit a car, and enter into the dark to confront someone who wasn’t doing anything wrong. But this was a fatal choice.

Note also GZ runs/jogs for 25 seconds (wind noise) and then moves or not moves at a different pace for around 1:15 until the end of his call.

Were he to round the second corner, the south west corner of the townhouse at that point, as your yellow line suggests, he’d be out of sight of his vehicle, and traveling on a path different than the one Trayvon took, on a course to intercept, not follow. To me this seems less likely than a simpler path. I speculate that instead he kept his SUV In sight, went straight and followed the cut thru path, possibly all the way east to the next street first, to see if the teen went to the street and headed north or south. The light is better there, for one thing. Zimmerman is choosing the easy, safer area to survey first. He’s lost sight of Trayvon. But he can still see his own truck – or at the least he’s on a line of sight with it down the cut thru path. He’s not on a path to intercept but to follow TM.

Were he to try an intercept, he may lose the kid, assuming he went all the way on the cut thru and made it to the other street. Following is logical.

It’s significant that he doesn’t want to give his name and address out loud – he fears he may be in earshot of the “kid” (his words).
To me this means he’s near where he last saw TM, running on the cut thru path, possibly near the T intersection of sidewalks.

let’s look at the transcript: (my speculation is in all caps)

Dispatcher: Alright George what’s your last name?

2:46 WIND NOISE STOPS – HE RAN OR JOGGED FOR 25 SECONDS
GZ MOVES AT A DIFFERENT PACE NOW

Zimmerman: Zimmerman
Dispatcher: And George what’s the phone number you’re calling from?

GZ CONTINUES TO FOLLOW ON FOOT, ONTO THE CUT THRU PATH

Zimmerman: [redacted by Mother Jones]
257
Dispatcher: Alright George we do have them on the way, do you want to meet with the
officer when they get out there?
3:00
Z: YEAH
Zimmerman: Alright, where you going to meet with them at?
3:04
Zimmerman: If they come in through the gate, tell them to go straight past the club house, and uh, straight past the club house and make a left, and then they go past the mailboxes, THEY WILL SEE my truck…[unintelligible]
Dispatcher: What address are you parked in front of?
3:26
Zimmerman: I don’t know, it’s a cut through so I don’t know the address.

HIS TRUCK IS NO LONGER BY THE MAILBOXES, BUT HE HAS NOT TOLD THE OPERATOR THIS

Dispatcher: Okay do you live in the area?
Zimmerman: Yeah, I…[unintelligible]
Dispatcher: What’s your apartment number?
Zimmerman: It’s a home it’s 1950, oh crap I don’t want to give it all out, I don’t know where this kid is.

GZ IS PAST THE TOWNHOUSE NEAR THE SIDEWALK INTERSECTION, NEAR THE LAST PLACE HE SAW TRAYVON

3:39 (7:14:03 EST)
Dispatcher: Okay do you want to just meet with them right near the mailboxes then?
Zimmerman: Yeah that’s fine.
Dispatcher: Alright George, I’ll let them know to meet you around there okay?
3:54 (7:13:28 EST)
Zimmerman: Actually could you have them call me and I’ll tell them where I’m at?

HE PLANS TO WALK AWAY FROM HIS VEHICLE FARTHER, OUT OF SIGHT OF HIS TRUCK – BETWEEN THE BUILDINGS

Dispatcher: Okay, yeah that’s no problem.
Zimmerman: Should I give you my number or you got it?
Dispatcher: Yeah I got it [redacted by Mother Jones]
4:02 (7:13:34 EST)
Zimmerman: Yeah you got it.
Dispatcher: Okay no problem, I’ll let them know to call you when you’re in the
area.
Zimmerman: Thanks.
Dispatcher: You’re welcome.
4:09 (7:13:41 EST)

CALL ENDS

FIRST 911 CALL BEGINS
7:16:11 first 911 call, screaming help for the start

7:16:56 SHOT FIRED

—————–

In conclusion, I think GZ did not exit his vehicle near the mailboxes, nor did he round the building at the south end in an intercept path. I contend he followed Trayvon in his car on the east to west part of the street, causing the boy to change from “walking fast” to running, and that GZ exited his vehicle near the cut thru and followed Trayvon’s path directly. Keep in mind however that once he told the operator NOT to meet him at his truck, he is indicating he will be out of sight of the truck. I think that means he intends to enter the “alley” between the back to back townhouses where the fight took place.

Significantly, GZ’s post shooting story is that he was NOT following the teen but instead “looking for a street sign” and “returning to his vehicle.” Of course, there are no street signs between the buildings. And, had he seen one before he rounded the south corner of the townhouse, (an easy enough thing) he failed to call it in. I contend he is lying about this part of his story.

jd’s scenario is very well reasoned. Probably the most believable I’ve read so far.

Mary, thanks for setting up such a pleasantly toned blog.

I also participate on the bcc:list.com where the map came from. We are curious about the knocking sounds towards the end of GZ’s infamous call, the witness who saw someone wearing a white shirt near the crime scene, and how witness John fits into all of this.

I haven’t paid much attention to good neighbor John, but he’s supposed to have snapped a photo of Zim’s head wounds, that are about 4 min. old at that point. The wounds and blood don’t look properly configured, for a head bashed repeatedly on concrete, then rolled in grass. Which leads me to speculate that they had been created sometime in the past, like before Zim left home.
Of course, that would mean premeditated murder, which in it’s
turn would require a couple of “spotters” one along Trayvon’s route and another at the 711. None of which would be too difficult to arrange.
Now we need to know what time Zimmerman’s truck left his garage.

jd i think you are pretty close and i totally agree that he followed in the car for a while, trayvon said he was being followed so zimmerman must have been creeping along behind him in the car for him to want to run. much of what you said we have also discussed at bcc list(another great blog with lots of investagative work done). as milo mentioned there was a distinct knocking sound while zimmerman was out of the truck like he was knocking on someones door. toward the end of the call his voice lowers, perhaps he heard trayvons phone ring or heard him talking or saw him again, hung up from the police and started pursuing again. This is a great blog Mary.

My neighbor has bluetooth, I recall his phone rang, he had to press a button to pick up. I’m not up to speed on bluetooth/handsfree I won’t be at least not until I start driving again. Could it depend on the provider? Guess we’ll have to wait and see on that.

i think there are but have not been released. They have a lot more witnesses it would seem than just the 911 calls. One saw 2 people running past their window..perhaps this proves there was a persuit etc. Will be interesting to find out the other evidence.

This “running” alone shows Zimmerman is again not telling the truth about that night.

Here he is a grow adult, essentially playing “cops & robbers” but with a real gun.

He was supposedly on his way to the store. Martin walks up to and passed his car. Gee, wouldn’t the adult thing to do be: simply roll down the window and say: “Hi; I’m the neighborhood watch captain, I haven’t seen you around here before. Do you live in one of these houses?” That’s what an adult would do. Not sit there, in the car, sending shivers of fear over the phone to a non-emergency police number.

How is Zim so afraid of an imagined weapon he doesn’t see, but yet he has found the nerve to follow an armed and dangerous person?
One minute a hero, next a shivering spineless coward, to afraid to even speak to a stranger. One minute he’s a helpless puddle of spineless fear, next he’s Horatio Cain on the trail of a killer. Only in his warped mind! He’s taken a course on law, so I guess he knows what probable cause is or isn’t?

1. He says Martin, while straddling him on the ground, discovered his gun, which he had forgotten in his fear addled mind. He says he then drew it and shot Martin.

2. He says after he shot Martin, Martin says “You got me” twice, then turns around and falls to the ground.

Obviously a man straddling you on the ground, cannot turn around and fall down. To do that he has to be standing up, if so, then Zim shot Martin after the fight was over!

But get this, he’s using hollow point bullets! Then he has the nerve to say, that he didn’t think Martin was seriously injured! From what I’ve read about hollow points, you have to ask for them, not just say “I need some ammo”, you have to say “give me some hollow point bullets”. Because they do more damage than regular rounds. Even people who don’t own guns know this. Who is Zimmerman trying to fool?

Worse, there’s no room in either of these narratives for the kind of head bashing it would take to make those head wounds. Nor do these wounds look 4 to 5 minutes old in the latest photos we now have.

My guess is he didn’t want a medic to see these wounds, because they bore none of the characteristics of a head banged on concrete then rolled in the grass.

Hollow point bullets ARE regular rounds. Virtually all police carry them. If you know nothing about ammunition, and you go to buy it, the guy behind the counter will ask you whether it’s for target shooting or self defense. If you say “self defense”, he will sell you hollow points, 100% of the time.

Well, I came back to read and I see I had a lot right, even though we had a lot wrong. Autopsy report has Trayvon at 160 lbs, 5′ 11″ Zimmerman is 204 lbs. 5′ 8″.

Trayvon came in using the front gate, not either of the short cuts. His plan to get back into the house was simple: He would call Chad on Chad’s cell phone and have him come open the door. That plan would have worked well if GZ had not been out there following Trayvon, making him afraid to led GZ to his home, where his little brother and he had no defense against GZ. Because this method of entry is expected to take a minute or more to complete, Trayvon would have to move away from the house, as soon as he thought he was being followed.

Meanwhile GZ had two and perhaps three opportunities to identify himself to a teenager who was not a criminal and who does not do anti social things. We do not hear Trayvon using profanity, yet we hear GZ using profanity gratuitously.

GZ is intent on preventing Trayvon from going about his business unhindered, Trayvon’s only concern is to get away from GZ who he finds scary. Also the timelines of GZ’s conflicting narratives do not aline with the evidence and/or witness testimony and timelines. Therefore we can assume that GZ is telling lies for the purposes of covering up his own guilt, since he cannot be lying to conceal his own innocence. Here’s an invite Mary M. to join us over at Fredrick Leatherman’s law blog http://tinyurl.com/bzl7e8c

I’ll be posting a link to your blog over there. Nice people, sane discussions of the evidence and the law, I’m sure you will enjoy spending some time there and make some new friends in the process. Enjoy